Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office deputies recently began carrying Narcan, the opioid antidote, specifically to be used on their K-9 units.

All deputies who work with the department's 17 dogs have been trained by a veterinarian on how to administer Narcan to their animal partners. Narcan has been available "for a couple of months," a sheriff's department spokesperson confirmed to WISN 12 NEWS.

"It's scary every time you send them in to something to search for drugs," Det. Wes Boone said. "You send them in and you just don't know what you're running into anymore."

K-9 units are specially trained to sniff for drugs, explosives or other materials. As the opioid crisis grips the nation, a growing number of dogs have come across opioids and fentanyl, an opioid that the Drug Enforcement Agency says can be 50 times stronger than heroin.

The MCSO certainly isn't the first police agency in the country to outfit their K-9 deputies with Narcan. Wisconsin State Patrol troopers also carry it, as do officers with departments in Florida, Colorado, South Carolina and Massachusetts.